It Was There All Along
by xArcherx
Summary: Just a small one-shot on how Ren realises his feelings for Kyoko.


**Hello! This is my first one-shot ever and I don't know why I did it on Skip-Beat! I haven't even finished reading the manga...but I did watch the anime and I liked it. A lot. Well, I hope you enjoy this small chapter all the same...**

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It Was There All Along

Ren Tsuruga might be the gentlest person in the whole world but he was feeling wretched and angry right now. He really didn't understand why it was affecting him so much. Ren was usually a very calm person who never really worked himself up just because someone he knew was now on speaking terms with the very person she pretty much seemed to hate.

Ren sighed as he gripped his steering wheel tighter. He had even refused Yukihito's offer to drive along with him to his house, just to keep him company. Ren wanted to be alone right now; he needed to sort things out...things people called 'feelings'.

He imagined Kyoko's cheery face and instantly felt his heart beating faster. He took a sharp intake of breath and concentrated on her face again. She was so much different from what she used to be when she had been six. The girl with the little brown pigtails was gone and now, in her place, was a young woman with coloured hair and a professional look to her whole face.

Ren didn't know whether he missed the girl she used to be back then...they had been friends only for about a fortnight or so, but he still cherished the memories he had of her. But then...when he had seen her back then, yelling at him that the only reason she had even pursued the acting career was because she wanted to take revenge on Sho Fuwa, he had been completely shocked and unhappy with her; he didn't even realise that she was actually the little Kyoko he used to know.

_That_ was another surprise; whether pleasant or unpleasant he could not tell. He had been walking to find out where Yukihito was and all of sudden, he had heard a small 'clink'. And there, right in front of him, was a small blue stone that was twinkling brightly. He had picked it up and had been examining it, quite sure that it was something that he had given a childhood friend of his when...

"_Corn! Corn!" The cry was desperate and loud. Ren snapped his head up and put the stone in his pocket as Kyoko came running down the staircase. "Oh no!" she cried, kneeling down on the floor anxiously. "I must have lost it for sure!"_

_Ren coughed, hoping she would notice him but it was Takenori Sawara who had followed Kyoko down the staircase who stared at him blankly. "Ren? What brings you here?"_

"_Tsuruga-san?" Kyoko asked, surprised, temporarily looking up from the ground. She gave him a withering smile and went back to searching._

"_I was looking for Yukihito." Ren explained, looking at Kyoko who kept muttering, 'Corn...Corn...where are you?' _

_Sawara looked at her like she was an alien. "Corn?" he asked, trying hard not to scoff. "Whoever would name a person, 'Corn'?"_

"_Corn gave me that stone..." Kyoko said, her eyes welling up with tears. "It always used to give me happiness. And now, now it's g-gone!"_

_Ren stared at her in complete shock. Without her knowledge, he pulled out the stone from his pocket and placed it back on the ground. "Look," he said, gaining Kyoko's attention. "Is this the stone?"_

_Kyoko uttered a cry as she flung herself in his direction. "Yes! Yes!" she made a grab for the stone and he gave it to her readily, hastily stepping away from her._

"_Corn!" she exclaimed in absolute relief. She gripped the stone tight in both her hands and held it close to her heart. "Thank God you're safe..." then she smiled her true smile, blinding Ren for a second._

_Her brown eyes were full of warmth and happiness, clearly indicating that she was truly happy. Ren still stared at her, his mouth slightly parted. Takenori Sawara looked at the two of them curiously, "Well, it's a good thing we were able to find it."_

_Kyoko nodded, the smile still in place. Ren cleared his throat; he had to ask her. "Have you...Have you by any chance lived in Kyoto before?"_

_She seemed startled by the question. "Y-Yes. I used to live there before I moved to Tokyo a few years back." She didn't exactly seem happy about the memory._

"_I see..."_

And that was when Ren had found out that the little girl he used to know was the same one standing in front of him, cherishing the stone. He really couldn't believe that this girl, who was so full of hatred, was indeed the innocent girl she used to be before. Well, she hadn't completely changed. Her smile was still the same smile he liked. And she wouldn't have lost her innocence if it wasn't for...

Sho Fuwa.

Which brought him back to his present situation. Kyoko had just featured in a song of Sho Fuwa; Ren had been unable to digest this piece of information. He had believed that Kyoko hated Fuwa to the very core. He couldn't understand why she would agree to shoot a song with him when she clearly despised him.

"I should be happy, though." He whispered to himself. It was true. If the hatred between Kyoko and Sho Fuwa had ended, then Ren should have rejoiced. It meant that Kyoko was no longer pursuing the career of acting just because she wanted revenge and that was a relief to Ren. Or so he assumed...

But he only felt betrayed and he had no idea why. It wasn't like he shared her rivalry. Sure, he disliked the guy for what he did to her, but other than that, he had no reason or any excuse to hate him. He was well aware that Sho Fuwa wanted to beat him in the media industry, but that would never happen; Ren wouldn't let him.

He let himself dwell on another one of his memories as he steered the car to the left.

"_I love hamburgers!" Six-year-old Kyoko chirped happily. "They are so delicious."_

_Kuon, who was sitting leisurely on a rock said, "I eat them all the time. I'm bored of them."_

"_But how could you?" cried Kyoko. "They are delicious."_

"_Well, when you're as old as I am now, which means you have to turn ten, and you have been eating hamburgers from day one, then you'll realize that after four years of eating the same thing, they don't taste that good."_

"_I don't get that kind of a privilege. Oh, look," Kyoko skipped onto another rock and picked up a stone nearby. "This one looks exactly like a __**large**__ hamburger, don't you think?"_

"_Well, if you call that large..." Kuon trailed off as he stood up and picked up a large stone by his side. "What do you call this one?"_

_Kyoko glanced at it for a second; then clutching her skirt, she curtsied. "Well, hello Your Highness." She said, in a lady-like tone. "How come you're so large?"_

_Kuon dropped the stone as he laughed hard. Kyoko joined him a second later, laughing merrily. Their voices added a pleasant atmosphere to the forest they had decided to meet in._

Despite his anger, Ren smiled at the childish memory. He had to admit that he had enjoyed the few days he had been fortunate enough to talk to her. Ren had told her his real name back then, but she still pronounced it wrong, calling him 'Corn'. He didn't mind though; it was amusing.

He parked his car in his garage and entered the house, completely exhausted. It had been a hard day; the film he was currently starring in had him giving it the best he could. Moreover, the actress seemed to be having a hard time with her lines. Ren didn't blame her; he knew she was trying her best to give it everything she had.

He whistled tunelessly as he took a hot shower. He stepped out minutes later, his head cloudier than it had been before. The shower had calmed him to an extent, but it still hadn't cured him of his misery. Ren was still feeling horrible and he couldn't figure out an answer at all. But after a hard day of work, even a hamburger was surprisingly delicious.

He stared at the rain wiping his window-panes clean. Even though he was physically tired, he was mentally full of energy. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep until he satisfied his mind with something...something close to an answer to his situation.

"Why?" Ren gritted his teeth and spoke out loud. "Why does this upset me so much?"

And then, like a flash of a lightning, he noticed his phone blinking. He stared at it, realizing that someone had tried to reach him when he hadn't been home. They had left a message. Assuming that it was probably only Yukihito, he listened to his phone.

There were two messages. One was from Yukihito, asking him if he had made it home safely. The other one was...no way, Ren couldn't believe it.

_Tsuruga-san?_ The tone was unmistakable; it was Kyoko. He listened intently, his heart thudding._ It's Kyoko...I was just worried about you, Tsusruga-san._ Ren's heart did a little somersault. _You have been acting a bit strangely these days, if you don't mind me saying so. You seem to be trying to stay away from me as much as possible._ Her sorrowful tone had his heart sinking rapidly. _Is it because of something I said or did? I really don't know why you're upset, Tsuruga-san. But if it's because of me, I'm very, very sorry. _Her sincere voice made Ren smile approvingly. _Know this, Tsuruga-san, if you ever need someone to talk to, you-you can always be assured that I'll listen to you. _He listened to her timid voice, his heart swelling with gratitude. _Take care, then. And please call me if you can. Otherwise, we'll meet soon._

He stared at his phone even though the message was over. He had been treating her like dirt. He felt so guilty, dammit! He always walked in the opposite direction if he saw her coming near him. He coughed loudly and excused himself whenever she tried to talk to him. He hadn't missed the sorrowful looks her face held and his heart melted at the sight of them.

How could he have acted so cruel? And it had been obvious enough for even Kyoko to notice it herself and she, in general, was a very oblivious girl. He had to apologize to her the next time he saw her...but, he couldn't possibly do that. Things would be so awkward between the two of them. Kyoko didn't know that he was upset that she had shot a song with Sho Fuwa.

She didn't know he was jealous.

Something clicked in his mind. Wait a minute, what had he just thought? Jealous? No, no that can't be right. He couldn't possibly be jealous of _Sho Fuwa_! The guy was an amateur! Ren had been working in the film industry for years together! Then why would he be jealous of Sho Fuwa? He was, in no way, going to affect Ren's career.

But if career wasn't the problem, then what was? Ren frowned as he pondered over it. There were only two things he and Sho Fuwa shared in common. One, both of them worked in the media and two, Kyoko. Sho Fuwa had been Kyoko's best friend until she had realised that he treated her like she was rubbish. And now, Ren and Kyoko were pretty much like friends. So that meant…

That he was jealous that Kyoko had spoken to Sho.

Ren gasped out loud, astounding himself with the answer he had gotten. Was it true? Of course not! It couldn't be possible! How could he have possibly fallen in love with Kyoko? Kyoko – his childhood friend!

_It is the truth though_. A small voice rang out in his head.

"Stop it." Ren advised the small voice. "I don't want to hear whatever you've got to say." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. But was it the truth? He tried to remain calm and recalled a few moments he had had with Kyoko.

He remembered how he had felt himself going warm when he found out that Kyoko had stayed up all night to make sure his fever didn't worsen. He remembered how she had smiled at him when he had woken up the next morning feeling completely fine. He remembered how annoyed he had been when she had told him that it had been her job – as a substitute manager – to take good care of him. He realised that a tiny part of him, had hoped that she had done it out of sheer concern about him.

All of it concluded that he looked at Kyoko more than just a friend. He sighed. Now that the truth had revealed itself, there was nothing he could do but accept it. She probably had no idea how he felt about her, seeing how he usually teased her. But lord knew how he was going to face her tomorrow…he really had to make sure he didn't blush so much.

Sometimes it's good thing you're an actor; you get to learn how to hide your emotions.

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**There! That was just something that popped in my mind and turned itself into a one-shot. I hope you liked it. Please leave your comments – I appreciate them a lot. Thank you!**


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